Weekly Recap: Xbox One Ditches Kinect And 5 Other Shocking News Stories

This week went full metal epic, stepped hard on the gas medal, shifted into seventh gear and then popped the nitrous cherry like a drunken prom night on a drag racing track, holding back nothing and letting it all hang out like a senior citizen nudist camp. And that's the softcore version of the news this week.

Microsoft went full-in on the Xbox One thanks to the battle-hardened and console-warrior ready Phil Spencer. This guy dropped bombs like a B-29 over Baghdad. The Xbox One is getting a price-cut. The Kinect is getting kicked out of the box like a deadbeat dad who stopped paying child support. Netflix and other streaming apps will no longer be behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall, and that's all just in one freaking day. That's not even talking about Far Cry 4: Liberace Edition and Halo: Master Chief Collection.

Like I said, this week went full metal meth-head with the news, so you better duck-tape your butt to the seat. Strapped your man-titties down hard and equip your flameproof jock-strap, because we're about to go on a rocket-busting ride in this May 17th, 2014 edition of the Gaming Blend Weekly Recap.

Deep Down Beta Due This Summer

While Microsoft is still struggling to find an identity for the Xbox One, Sony and Capcom have confirmed that the multiplayer dungeon crawler, Deep Down will be heading into beta this summer. New promotional material has become available for The Walking Dead: Season 2 – Episode 3. New details have also emerged for Battlefield 4's big DLC update called Dragon's Teeth (not to be confused with Rooster Teeth).

Netflix Is Free On Xbox One

Yes, you can now access the Netflix app... for free. You no longer have to pay to access the app, but you still have to pay a subscription fee. More good news became available, as Warframe was recently updated with new content, some brand new screenshots became available for Dragon Age: Inquisition, and a new Kickstarter has gotten underway that teaches anyone how to make a game from start to finish called Ultimate GameDev Tutorial. Additionally, Borderlands 2 and a few other big games have become available this week on PlayStation systems.

Xbox One Drops To $399, Goes Kinect-Free

This happened a heck of a lot sooner than anyone anticipated. Microsoft decided to bite the bullet and get rid of Kinect in order to compete with Sony and the PS4. The move has caused some analysts to believe that the Xbox One will surpass the PS4 in sales in 2015. However, that's going to be difficult when games like Watch Dogs still show that the PS4 is still the bigger powerhouse. If resolution and frame-rate aren't your cup of tea, there's always a bunch of oldies but goodies that Nintendo is offering up at discounted prices for their platforms.

Sims 4 Character Trailer Sparkles

EA and Maxis Software released the very first character-creation trailer for The Sims 4, detailing how they've completely overhauled the system to something far more intuitive, intelligent and easy for the average user. EA was in a giving mood as far as promotional trailers go, as a new Bruce Lee gameplay trailer became available as well for the upcoming EA Sports UFC. A new expansion pack has launched for Neverwinter, the MMO, and Watch Dogs' creative director has taken to the internet to defend the graphics and settings downgrade for the home console version of Ubisoft's upcoming game. Oh, and one last bit of EA news: Titanfall's latest bit of DLC has been dated.

Why I Quit Elder Scrolls Online

Uh oh, folks. It looks like there's trouble in paradise with the Elder Scrolls Online. No more rainbows, lollipops and hot bed romping like that first and last night from the Hawaii honeymoon. No worries, where Elder Scrolls fails, Ubisoft is looking to capitalize with their Watch Dogs IP, expecting it to move about 6.3 million units its first year out. I doubt it'll ever catch GTA, but Rockstar doesn't have to worry given that the series is a historical blockbuster, and it's now on the Amazon Fire TV's app store. If you're looking for something a bit more informative, educational and enlightening, be sure to check out this list of 10 things that have changed over the years with video game motion capturing. Oh yeah, and Far Cry 4 has been announced.

Halo 5 Release Window Announced

So many massive stories this week. The Xbox One's price-cut was gargantuan, but announcing a 2015 window for Halo 5? Now that's flatout huge. Microsoft also seems to be hinting at another hold-me-off for 2014... the Halo: Master Chief Collection series that will help refresh the minds' of gamers and prep for the re-introduction of the Master Chief come holiday season 2015. More next-gen news soared over the day, with 4J Studios releasing screenshots of Minecraft on PS4 and Xbox One. Mario Kart 8 managed to pass up Watch Dogs in pre-orders on Amazon's best sellers list, and the PS4 and Xbox One take up massive amounts of energy... even in standby mode.